Device for stopping railway trains independently of the driver



-- 627,724 y 1927' P. BILDSTEIN ET AL I DEVICE FOR STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS INDEPENDENTLY OF THE DRIVER 7 Filed June 20. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ijM-a 7511M 1,627;724 May 1927' P. BILDSTElN ET AL DEV ICE FOR STOPPINQ RAILWAY TRAINS INDEPENDENTLY OF TH E DRIVER Filed Juhe. 20 1925 2 SheetQ -Sheet 2 Patented May 19, 1927.

-- UNITED STATES 1,627,724 PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL BILDSTEIN AND EMIL SEIDEL, 0F ELBEBFELD, GERMANY.

:DEvIc roR STOPPING RAILWAY TRAINS INDE ENDENTLY OF THE DRIVER.

Application filed June 20, 1925, Serial No. 38,539, and in Germany March 7, 1925.

This invention relates to a device of the kind applied to a railway track and adapted to be set together with the signal for interaction with a moving train so as to apply the brakes of the latter if the signal should be unheeded.

The invention consists essentially inthe combination with a track apparatus composed of a double-armed lever oneend of which is applied to a brake releasing mechanism on the train when the other end is depressed by the wheels of the train, of a block arranged adjustably on the lever so as to take the thrust of the train wheels in one poistion of adjustment, means being provided for shifting the block from this position to prevent the lever from being oper ated.

Means are provided for preventing accidentsby the slackening of springs or by the breaking of the operating'wires.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings represents a plan of the track apparatus,

Fig. 2, a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line 3-3 of the same figure.

Fig. l is a plan of a wire drum employed in the controlling of the device, and

Figs. 5 and 6, are views of catches emp ployed for locking the device.

I to one end of a shaft 36 which carries atvv Fig. 7 is a front view of the train apparatus in section on line 7-7 of Fig. 8,

Fig. 8, aside view of the same, and

Fig. 9, a view showing the relation between the train and the track apparatus.

'The train'is provided with an air brake which is controlled by a lever arm 23 (Fig. 7). This lever is engaged by a pin 51 connected to a weighted, vertical guide rod 22 which tends to apply the brake. It is normally prevented from so doing by a latch 19 the bevelled end 20 of which engages a notch in the rod 22 in the raised position of the latter. The latch is controlled by a weighted, double-arm lever 21 through the medium of a bell-crank 52 pivoted at 18. A doublearmed lever 17, which passes across the bell crank 52, is engaged with avertical plunger 16 arranged so as to cooperate with the track apparatus. Thenthe plunger 16 is raised, the lever 17 is rocked and its movement is communicated to the bell-crank 52 so as toretract the latch 19 and allow the brake to be applied. The lever 17 is keyed the-opposite end an arm 35. The latter is engaged by a double-armed lever 34 which 1n its turn is engaged by a plunger 33. The plunger can therefore be used in the same manner as the plunger 16 for applying the brake. The two plungers are arranged at opposite sides of the frame for interaction with differently situated track apparatus.

The rod 22 on the engine is also connected by means of a crank arm 24.- to a sleeve 30 which is loosely mounted on a shaft 29. vThe latter has a crank arm 25 which is connected by a rod 26 to the valve of the steam whistle 27 which will therefore be sounded when the shaft is turned clockwise by means of a handle 28. Pins-31on the shaft 29 engage circumferentially elongated slots 32 in the sleeve 30 so that, when the latter is rotated by the movement of the released rod 22. the pins 31 will be engaged in the ends of the slots so as to communicate the rotation to the shaft 29. Thus the steam whistle will be sounded at the same time as the brake is applied. As the slots 32 are elongated, they allow the shaft 29 to be turned independently by the driver for sounding the whistle. It is evident that the shaft, besides being used for restoring the rod 22 to operative position, can also be locked so as to prevent the rod 22 from descending, in which case theapparatus is out of action.

The track apparatus consists of a doublearmed lever 3 which is arranged at the in.-

latter end of the lever carries a block 15 which coincides with one of the plungers 16, 33 at the moment the wheel strikes against the block 5. The plunger will therefore be raisedand the train brake applied as previously described. This happens when be forced aside by the wheel without a de pression of the lever 3. The engaging surface of the block 5 is inclined towards the centre of the track, as shown in Fig. 3, so that it tends, by the engagement with the wheel, to move up against the rail 1. A butter spring 11 which acts on the head 4, holds the block 5 normally in raised position. The block 5 is forced against the rail by a coil spring 6 resting on a bolt 9 which is con-- nected to the block and guided in avertical part 4' of the head 4. There is also a horizontally adjustable plunger 10 which is controlled by a weighted lever 10 and arranged behind the free end of the bolt 9 so as to urge the latter and the block towards the rail, if the spring 6 should break or get slack.

To retract the block 5 from the rail 1, a doublearmed lever 8 is employed which is ivoted at 37 to a bracket on the head 4. l he arm ol. this lever is adapted to enter a slot 5' in the base of the block 5 and to retract the latter from the rail 1 whenthe lever is turned in clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 3. This turning movement is imparted to the lever S by a lever arm 38 (Fig. 1) which is pivoted at 39 to a plate arranged outside the track, the arm 8 being connected to the lever 8 by means of a rod 8. The arm 38 is controlled by a cam groove 40 made in a horizontal, rotatable disc 40, the arm 38 being provided with a pin 38 which is engaged in the cam groove. The disc 40 is superposed on a drum 42 which rotates about the same pivot and which is connected. by wires, on the one hand to the lever whereby the signal is operated and on the other hand to a compensator which works in opposition to the lever. The drum 42 is normally coupled to the disc 40 by means of a vertical latch 41 which slides in the disc 40 and which engages in a gap 42 (Fig. 4) between two plates connected to. the drum. The latch 41 has a right-angled lip 48 which, in one position of the disc 40, rides up a crested plate 47 so as to disengage the latch from the drum 42. The disc .40 has also a radial pin 43 which is engaged, in certain positions of the disc, by catches 44, and 46 for arresting the track apparatus. The catch 46 is placed diametrically opposite the pin 38, and the catches 44 and 45 are arranged at opposite sides of the disc nearer the catch 46 than the pin 38.

The cam groove 40 is endless and symmetrical. In two diametrically opposite positions ot the disc 40 the block 5 is free, and is applied by the spring 6 to the rail 1.. One quarter turn to either side causes the block to be retracted from the rail so as to put the device out of operation.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the position of the track apparatus when the signals are on Stop, the block 5 being applied to the rail so as to cause the brakes to be applied if the train should pass the a paratus. When the signal is changed to Cl ea-r, the cam 42 is turned by the wires through 90, and the disc 40 participates in the movement so as to operate the levers 38 and 8 for retracting the block 5 from the rail. The train can then pass without being affected by the device. Different signals may thus be operated by turning the disc 40 in opposite directions, and the track apparatus will be operated in the same manner in each case.

It a slackening of a wire should take place, the disc 40 will take a normally m1- symmetrical posit-ion relative to the pin 38', and if this slackening tends to become excessive, the pin 43 will, when one of the signals is put on Clear, passinto engage mentwith one of the catches 44 or 45, depending on the direction in which the disc 40 is turned, so as to lock the signal. The signal man will then be compelled to attend to the mechanism and restore it to proper working condition.

If a wire should break at either side of the disc 40, the latter will be turned by the opposite wire until the pin 43 is stopped and caught by the catch 46. At the same time the latch 41 is raised by the plate 47 out of engagement with the drum 42 so as to set the latter free. The device will then remain in operative position until the damage has been repaired.

end of the latter cannot enter the slot unless the block is held close to the rail 1. The plunger 10. although it tends to hold the block 5 sutficiently near the rail 1 to be engaged by the track wheels, does not advance it enougl-i to allow the lever 8 to-enter the slot 5. Thus, it the spring 6 should break or get slack, the lever 8 will, on an attempt to change thesignal, be stopped by The slot 5 in the block 5 is situated relative to the lever 8 so that the of a plunger arranged on the train so as to i be actuated by said lever when thus rocked, a self-acting brake applying device,. means preventing said device normally from operating, means enabling said plunger to release the brake applying device when actufeatures claimed in claim 1, the engaging surface of the block being inclined so that the wheels will have a tendency to hold it in operative position.

3. In a train stopping device having the features claimed in claim 1, a spring tending to hold the block in operative position, the

block being bevelled at one end so as to be pushed aside in opposition to the spring by the engagement with train wheels coming from the direction in which the bevelled end points, and hand-operated means for shifting the block out of reach of the train wheels. 1

4. In a train stopping device having the features claimed in claim 1, a spring tending to hold the block in operative position, an operating lever arranged on the track so that it can be used for displacing the block in opposition to the spring, and controlling means for said operatinglever.

5. In a train stopping device having the features claimed in claim 1, a spring tending to hold the block in operative position, a weight-operated plunger tending to hold the block in operative but not in fully advanced position, an operating lever arranged on the track so that it can be used for retracting the block in opposition to the spring and to the weight-operated plunger, the block being formed with a slot through which said operating lever enters for operative engagement with the block, said slot being arranged so as not to allow an effective engagement between the operating lever and the block unless the latter is in its fully advanced operative position, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a train stopping device having the featuresclaimed in claim 1, a spring tending to hold the block in operative position, an operating lever arranged on the track so that it can be used for retracting the block in opposition to the spring, a cam disc controlling the movement of said operating lever, and means for rotating said cam disc so as to actuate the lever.

7. In a train stopping device-having the lever, a wire drum for rotating said cam disc, a radial pin on said cam disc, and

catches arranged soas to engage said pin and arrest the disc if the movements of the latter should become irregular owing to breakage or excessive wear of the operating elements, substantially as set forth.

8. In a train stopping device having the features claimed in claim 1, a spring tending to hold the block in operative position, an operating lever arranged on the track so that it can be used for retracting the block in opposition to the spring, a cam disc controlling the movements of said operating lever, a wire drum arranged coaxially With the cam disc, means for coupling the cam disc to the wire drum so as to impart mo-e tion from one to the other, a radial pin connected to said cam disc, a catch arranged so as to engage said pin and arrest the disc if the movement of the latter should become irregular owing to a breakage in, the operating mechanism, and means for uncoupling the wire drum from the disc when the latter is arrested.

9. Ina device for stopping railway trains independently of the driver, the combination with a track apparatus comprising a double-armed lever arranged on the track so as to be rocked by the wheels of a pass ing train, of a plunger arranged on the train so as to be actuated by said lever when the latter is rocked, an air brake valve, a weighted rodtending to operate said valve for applying the brakes, a latch normally engaging said rod-so as to prevent it from applying the brakes, means enabling said plunger, when acted upon by the lever, to retract the latch and release the brake-oper ating rod, a signalling apparatus, a manually operated shaft for operating said signalling apparatus, a sleeve arranged loosely on said shaft, an arm connecting said sleeve with the brake operating rod so as to be actuated by the latter for rotating the sleeve and pins connected to the shaft and engaging circumferentially elongated slots in the sleeve so that the rotation of the sleeve by the rod, when the brake is applied, will be communicated to the shaft for operating the signal, while the shaft remains free for the manual operation of the signal.

PAUL BILDSTElN. EMIL SEIDEL. 

